Metamorphosis III: Evolution
by Flidais
Summary: “Out of the unreal shadows of the night comes back the real life that we had known.” Oscar Wilde
1. Routine Awakenings

**Metamorphosis III: Evolution **

Rating: R  
Show: Dark Angel  
Genre: Drama/Action/Angst  
Type: WIP/Series  
Summary: "Out of the unreal shadows of the night comes back the real life that we had known." Oscar Wilde  
Disclaimer: I don't own them.  
Spoilers: At least through 'Exposure'. I can pretty much promise you that this won't make a lick of sense unless you've read Metamorphosis I: Regression & Metamorphosis II: Aggression.

* * *

**Chapter 1: Routine Awakenings **

"Oh, this is just how I wanted to start my morning."

"Your morning started hours ago."

"You know, reminding me that you jolted me out of my bed before sunrise is not making me feel any better."

"Whatever. Quit whining". Dark, wavy hair was tossed over a slender shoulder. "You got to test out some tricks on your new ride didn't you?"

"The look on that agent's face when I rode over the hood of his car was pretty sweet." The sparkle of gleeful hazel eyes was reflected in the elevator doors.

"How old do you think they were, anyway?"

"The rugrats?" A shrug was felt more than seen. "Youngest looked like the newest of the X8s, so maybe five years old. The oldest was almost as big as an X7 – but she didn't look especially batty – so I'd say ten." Another shrug. "The rest were all somewhere in between."

"I can't believe they've lasted all these months on their own."

"Why not? You lasted longer." The elevator gave a small ding and its doors slid open to the topmost floor. The pair stepped out to walk down the hallway side by side.

"Basic survival's one thing. Staying clear of White and his goons is another."

"You had Lydecker. They've got White. Same difference." There was a beat of silence. "Where does that expression come from anyway? It makes no sense." Alec glanced down at Max, who made a face and shrugged. "Anyway, the last order they ever got from what they thought was Command was to go to ground. They did well." He reached out to turn the doorknob at their destination. When it refused to open, his arms flew up in annoyance, which was further echoed in his voice. "Didn't he ask you over? Why the hell would he lock the door?"

"Do I look like a mind reader to you?" She pushed at his shoulder. "Hurry up."

He glared at her before pulling his pick from inside his leather jacket. He crouched down to work on the lock. He felt her sigh behind him and rolled his eyes.

After a few moments, Max spoke, a smile clear in her voice, "I think that little white-haired one's got a crush on you."

"She's clearly got taste." The tumblers fell in place with an almost non-existent click that was perfectly audible to the X5s.

Max chuckled. "I swear, if your head gets any bigger, you're not gonna be able to walk." One beat. Two.

Alec stood and smirked down at her with the dirtiest expression in his arsenal. "You make it so easy sometimes, Maxie." Silence. The words echoed between them for a few heartbeats, while Max thought back on statement. A look of exaggerated disgust crossed her face.

"Shut up." She pushed past him and through the doorway. His grin was practically to his ears now.

"I'm just sayin'…"

"Shut.Up.Pretty boy." The words were thrown over her shoulder as she continued her march through the foyer. She mumbled "smartass" under her breath, which she knew without a doubt Alec heard, before she announced her presence to the apartment's owner with a casual, "Hey, Logan."

Just behind her, Alec rounded the corner from the hallway and found the ordinary sitting in his living room looking out onto the city below. It had been weeks since Logan's confrontation with a feral, slightly psycho version of Max. While he was still confined to a wheelchair with a plaster cast surrounding his right arm from palm of hand to crook of elbow, all bruises and cuts had healed and left no traces. Logan's blue eyes held no fear when he looked at her. Alec wasn't sure if he should respect him for having a backbone or ridicule him for his apparent stupidity. He was leaning toward the latter.

"Hey, Max." The older man's tone took on the usual softness he reserved for her.

Max and Logan still had not spoken of the night they'd both ended up at Harbor Lights Hospital. Alec knew this for a fact because every time Max needed to go to Logan's she found some reasonable – but utterly transparent – excuse for him to come along. And every time Alec simply rolled his eyes and trudged along beside her. What he would never admit to Max was that her near-death experience in the hospital had really scared him and he wasn't quite ready to stop worrying about her yet. Playing her annoying shadow was the only way he knew how to ease his mind without alerting her to his somewhat over-protective feelings.

"Sorry about being late," Alec piped up, not sounding sorry at all. "Maxie here felt a disturbance in the force, so we took a detour and rescued some little X8s from White's evil clutches." He clapped his hands once and rubbed them together. "You got anything to eat?" He walked on to the kitchen without pausing for a reply.

Logan started and looked at Max in surprise. "Alec means," she clarified, "we got a head's up from Luke back at Terminal City. He's started monitoring the police frequencies for transgenics in trouble."

The blonde, bespectacled man shook his head wearily and sighed with heartfelt patience. "You can't keep risking exposure, Max. Less than a month ago the public was looking for you as the number one blip on their radar. And now that White has officially confirmed the existence of transgenics to that Senate subcommittee and the public at large, it's more dangerous out there for you than ever."

She cocked her head to the side and canted one hip. "What were we supposed to do, Logan? Leave a bunch of kids to the mercy of a government-sanctioned psycho?"

"Well, if you had just called me –"

"We can take care of our own, you know," Alec interrupted matter-of-factly. He'd just walked back in the room carrying a box of cereal and a mug of coffee. He handed the coffee to Max, before sticking an arm inside the cereal box, plopping down on the sofa, and throwing his feet up on the coffee table.

"Oh, yeah," Logan scoffed. He chose to ignore the way Alec was going through his expensive, pre-pulse Frosted Flakes without so much as a 'by your leave'. "Sure you can, Alec. I seem to remember how well you almost took care of Max and Joshua when White put that explosive in your head. You're such a family man."

Logan didn't notice the way that Max tensed up at his words – the coffee-induced bliss on her face disappearing in an instant – but Alec did. Just a few months ago he'd have read her reaction as siding with Logan, but that was before…well, before a lot of things. Now he knew that she was remembering some of the less than moral things she'd done in her life. While Alec knew from his own experience that doing the unthinkable was often necessary to survive, he also knew that Max carried guilt like King Kong on her back.

"You know, Logan," Alec said around a mouthful of cereal, "this obsession you have with the past is really unhealthy." He deliberately kept his voice light and mocking, trying to distract Max from a bout of self-flagellating introspection.

"It's part of what makes us human."

"Well lucky for me the good scientists at Manticore managed to weed that particular genetic defect out of the X5 DNA strain." A huge smile broke across Alec's face.

_What is with him and that stupid Cheshire cat grin_, thought Logan. Out loud he said, "You're a real sociopath, you know that?"

Alec shrugged, still smiling. "Gimp."

Just as Logan opened his mouth to retort, Max stepped between them with one hand raised.

"Enough!"

Logan seemed affronted, but snapped his mouth shut. Alec just kept smiling even when she gave him a few abbreviated hand signals that loosely translated to, _behave yourself or I will so kick your ass_. When he simply blinked innocently and continued munching on his breakfast, she stepped over his outstretched legs and made herself comfortable on the opposite end of the sofa, cradling the coffee mug close to her chest. "Logan, when you called you said you had some news for us?"

"For you actually." Max tucked her feet under her and made a get-on-with-it gesture with her free hand. Logan ignored her boots on his sofa cushions. He was going to have to clean them anyway once Alec was finished crushing cereal into the upholstery. He cleared his throat and began his story. "Do you remember Buddy Miles, from -–"

"Buddy that took Zack?"

"Uh, yes. He's left me a few rather cryptic messages over the past few days and we finally connected this morning. Apparently a few weeks ago Zack started, as Buddy put it, acting a bit out of the ordinary."

"Out of the ordinary how?"

"Buddy described his behavior as unusually secretive and withdrawn."

Alec cut in, "When you say 'a few weeks ago' would that be right about the time that transgenics made the nightly news?"

Logan thought on that for a moment before answering, "Actually, the times do coincide, but…"

Max set her mug down on the table and nodded thoughtfully. "Just the words 'Manticore' and 'transgenic' might've been enough to trigger some of his memories. What else did Buddy say?"

"Well, it seems that Zack had adjusted beautifully to the normalcy of farm life." He smiled softly at Max. "He'd completely accepted the reality we'd given him, and was even thriving in it."

Alec cringed inwardly, his last swallow of cereal sticking in his throat. For a moment, Logan had reminded him of one of the Psy Ops scientists back at Manticore. Appetite completely lost, he put the cereal box on the coffee table as Logan continued.

"The first changes in behavior were small. He was quieter, moodier, but nothing that set off any alarms for Buddy. Then he started distancing himself from the other people on the farm, only speaking when spoken to, locking himself in his room whenever he wasn't working. That went on for about a week before he seemed to snap out of it completely. So, Buddy put it out of his mind."

"Yes, because clearly Zack was suffering from PMS," Alec interjected.

Logan ignored the disruption and continued his narration. "Friday, Zack volunteered to go pick up a supply order a few counties over from Buddy's farm. He called when he got there and told Buddy that there was some problem with the truck and it would take a few days for the local garage to get the necessary parts to fix it. That was the last time Buddy heard from him."

"Five days ago?" Max jumped up from the couch, voice was harsh and demanding, "Zack's been missing for five days?"

"Seems so," Logan said with a small nod. "And two days ago Buddy noticed men in military gear passing not too far from his farm."

"Shit." She began to pace back and forth within the confines of the living room, hands clenched into fists at her sides. "We need to know the exact location and size of any military operation in Buddy's town and the surrounding counties. Also the coordinates for the town Zack was in when he called. If there have been any reported of disturbances in that town – fights and the like, we'll need that info too. I figure it'll take Alec and me under ten hours to make it there through back roads if we ride hard." Her words came fast and furious without a pause for breath until Alec jumped up.

"Whoa whoa, Maxie. Wait a second." Alec stood in her path and put his hands firmly on her shoulders to halt her panicked striding. "Let's think about this. Zack was your CO. You told me once that he was the very best in your unit at Escape and Evade. There's no way that even with half of his memories gone he'd have let White's people keep the upper hand, even if they did manage to find him, which I seriously doubt." He canted his head to the side and leaned down a little until he could lock eyes with her. "Am I right?"

Max stared back into hazel eyes for a moment before taking a deep breath. "Yeah. Yeah, you are." She nodded, visibly calming. "He always was the best at keeping off their radar."

"And if the military was just showing up three days after he skipped town, they're just eating his dust trying to pick up his trail." Alec gave her shoulders a reassuring squeeze before letting her go with a small smile. "Old Zacky is just fine and dandy, you'll see." He winked at her, and she smiled a little.

Logan tensed. "So, he could be on his way here?"

"No," Max said decisively, shaking her head for emphasis. "No, I don't think so. He'd go to ground. It's what any of us would do." She turned to Alec. "Right?"

Logan tried not to huff in frustration at Max's back now facing him. It was really starting to disturb him how often Max kept looking to Alec for backup of a non-fighting nature. She should be looking to Logan, they were the ones with all the history.

"Right," came Alec's confident reply. "Zack's new status is extreme and unforeseen. He'll take some time to assess the situation and then he'll redeploy." It was odd for Max to hear the normally lax Alec speak in staid military terms, but the words flowed off his lips and he seemed at ease speaking them in his normal tone of mild amusement. Surprisingly, it actually made her feel better.

"Meaning, he'll head here." Logan made it a statement, not a question.

Alec rolled his eyes at the man's logic. "With Seattle being ground zero for anti-transgenic activity, I highly doubt this would be the first place he'd head. It's not tactically sound."

"You act like he'll have the presence of mind to do all this. He's the hunted, remember?"

Eyebrow raised at Logan's assumptions, Alec shook his head. "He's a transgenic, Manticore-born and Manticore-bred. His instincts and his training will kick in long before he even remembers his designation." Alec shrugged then and glanced at Max. "But he's your brother, Maxie. What do you think he'll do?"

She chewed at her lower lip for a moment before nodding. "He'll look for his unit. There are seven more of us still scattered across the country – eight, if Brin made it out when Manticore burned. If anyone could locate them, it'd be Zack." She gave a small smile and some of the weight seemed to ease off her shoulders.

Alec grinned. "So there you have it, Logan. Killing you is not at the very tip top of big brother Zack's to do list. You can rest easy, buddy." He shrugged and not even attempting to hide the mirth sparkling in his eyes. "For at least another couple weeks anyway." Logan scowled at him. Alec just kept grinning cheekily, until Max's hand whapped across the back of his head.

"Dumbass, I said behave," she said without any real heat.

"Ow," he replied without any real pain.

Max turned her attention back to Logan. "While we're here, were you able to find anything on Joshua's pendant?"

Logan cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose. "Well, actually," he began as he wheeled himself toward his office, "I was able to gather some information." He felt the two X5s following behind him as he picked Joshua's pendant up from his desk. He turned and handed it to Max and was pleased to see her smiling at him with real interest, waiting to hear his next words.

He smiled warmly back and shared his findings. "The symbol is definitely a caduceus, which has its origins in Greek myth and was the staff that Hermes carried. It's come to represent all medical science. This all just further verifies the link between Sandeman's work at Manticore and whatever purpose motivates White's breeding cult. It's all coming back to genetics."

Logan folded his hands in his lap and waited expectantly for Max's response to this new information. The seconds ticked on and on. The two transgenics stood on the other side of the room and blinked at him like mirrors of each other.

Finally, Max seemed to realize that he was waiting for her to speak. "Well that's, uh," she struggled for a moment, both men looking at her as she searched for the words, "definitely interesting, Logan."

Alec made a face and threw up his hands. "That's it?" The incredulity was clear in his voice as he address Logan. "That's all you've come up with in the weeks since I gave you that thing?"

Max tugged hard on the sleeve of Alec's new leather jacket and started walking out of the room. "We gotta blaze, we're late for work. Thanks, Logan. Let us know if you find anything else."

Logan called out to Max as their footsteps echoed down the hallway, "Be –"

Alec's head popped back around the corner. "There's no need to be careful, we're just going to work!"

Max's voice cut in, preempting another sparring match between the two men. "Shut up, Alec!" He was yanked out of sight before Logan could more than make a frustrated face.

* * *

It was a relatively clear day for Seattle. Only a few heavy, whitish-gray clouds marred a pale blue sky as Max and Alec deftly wove through the traffic of the city streets on their bicycles. Max glanced over her shoulder at her companion. He rode less than two feet behind her, steering exactly in her wake though he was only half paying attention. One hand was on the handlebars and the other held his phone to his ear. Expressions flitted across his face and his voice was animated with rapidly flying words. Max smiled a little and shook her head at Alec's predictable wheeling and dealing.

She glanced around, guiding them through the path of least resistance. She focused on the weather, on the congested streets, on Alec's antics, on anything other than the thought that her big brother was out there somewhere without backup. Despite her best attempts at self-distraction, there was a knot like a fist-sized lump of coal sitting in the pit of her stomach. Even though looking at the situation objectively with Alec at Logan's had helped to calm her, she knew she would worry about Zack until she saw him safe with her own eyes.

_If I ever see him safe again_, she thought. Fortunately, Max heard the sound of Alec's phone snapping shut before she could take that train of thought too far. She turned them down a less crowded street, and Alec moved his bike forward until they were riding shoulder to shoulder.

"So, you wouldn't happen to want to cover for your dear buddy Alec this afternoon, would ya Max?"

"Depends. You wouldn't happen to have any contacts that could get their hands on a hot water heater, would you? Every time I spend a night in TC, my mornings are totally miserable."

He gave a sly smile went with the obvious joke. "Too many cold showers lately, Maxie?" He swerved away from her fist and chuckled when she scowled at him. "I may know one or two guys that could hook us up with a hot water heater, or five. Gimme a couple days to see what I can find."

"Deal." She smirked at him. "Though, I don't know why you don't just flash that pretty boy smile at Normal to get out of working. I'm sure he's just dying to give you the week off and a raise. And it's not like you do much work anyway."

"Yeah well, Normal seems to think I've been spending too much time around you lately, Missy Miss. He's been treating me like any other minion. It's breaking my heart." His lips pushed into his most pathetic pout.

Max scoffed, "Oh yeah, it's just so hard being you."

"Actually," he said, a thoughtful crease in his brow, "it's really easy being me. I'm hot."

"You're an ass."

"We all have our gifts," he said airily. He fell back behind Max as she eased them into a crowded avenue. "At least with me there's never a dull moment."

"Are you saying I'm dull?"

"Oh no. Of course not. You're buckets of fun."

"You know, I kinda hate you sometimes."

"Naturally."

"Ass."

"You said that already, Maxie." He was laughing at her. The chuckle was clear in his voice.

"Shut up." Max made a face at him over her shoulder before suddenly veering across on-coming traffic and down a side alley, leaving chaos and honking in her wake. The ensuing pandemonium effectively cut off Alec's path and prevented him from following her.

"Oh, and I'm the immature one!" Alec knew for a fact Max heard his bellow – just as he could hear beyond the cacophony of disrupted cars and pedestrians to her laughter. "Oh, it's on." He dismounted and lifted his bike into the air. Climbing the hood of the nearest car, he leapt from vehicle to vehicle until he was beyond the confusion. He hopped back on his bike and raced down a different side street. She had maybe a twenty second lead on him, but he knew more than a few shortcuts that would help him make up the time.

Meanwhile, Max was dodging and weaving between cars and people, missing collisions by a hairsbreadth again and again. She was grinning like a hellcat, hunched over her bike and pushing the limits of her speed without being obviously superhuman. In her mind's eye, she was recalling an exquisitely detailed map of Seattle's streets and cross-referencing potential routes with her knowledge of traffic patterns at this time of day. She spared a thought for Alec, who she knew for certain would be doing the exact same thing. Her grin grew and was joined by a giggle.

Less than fifteen minutes after the race had begun, two bikes sped into Jam Pony from entrances at opposite ends of the building. Alec was the first to breech the building's perimeter, thundering through the rear entrance and shouting, "Heads up!"

Two seconds later, Max rolled over the threshold of the front entrance. She saw Alec approaching fast from the other side and put on a burst of speed, which was furthered by the ramp that lead down to the dispatch counter.

So, of course, Sketchy chose that exact moment to blunder out from behind the receiving area. He was concentrating on opening the soft drink in his hand, oblivious to the two transgenics barreling toward him.

Max saw him first. "Look out!"

Sketchy yelled, "Dude!"

At the same time, Alec yelled, "Crap!" He had to swerve wildly at the last minute to avoid crashing into the lanky blonde. Not even transgenic speed and agility could save him, and he toppled over with a resounding thud. His shoulder slammed against the base of the counter just as Max slapped her hand down on the flat top.

"Ha! I win!"

"What?!" Alec's yelp was undignified, but he didn't care. "We got here at the same time!"

She flipped long, wavy hair over one shoulder. "Sliding home on your ass doesn't really count," she said with a superior tone.

By this time a crowd of their friends had gathered around them. Alec looked up plaintively. "Biggs? Cece? A little help here?"

The other two transgenics looked at each other and then back at Alec, "Last man standing," they said in unison.

"Damn it," Alec grumbled as he got to his feet, "it's a conspiracy." Max just smirked at him, clearly gloating.

"What were the stakes?" Original Cindy asked.

Alec lifted his bike and shrugged. "Just pride really."

"Well then, cheer up, Baby Boo. You ain't had nothin' to lose'."

His face twisted in a grimace. "Thanks for that, Cindy. I feel much better now."

OC patted his cheek none too gently. "No problem, sugah."

An amplified bellow of "Bip, bip, bip," wiped the smiles from all their faces.

The four transgenics grimaced as the sound assaulted their sensitive hearing. It preceded Normal as he exited his office behind the reception desk. It seemed as though he was shouting more than ever now that he had Martha's help to get his messages across. He set aside his bright yellow megaphone and placed a stack of packages in front of OC, who happened to be standing closest to the counter.

"There are deliveries to be made, people. I'm not paying you cretins to have social hour."

Max's best friend examined her well-manicured nails as she addressed their boss. "You know, Normal, some men want a big voice 'cuz they need to compensate for something that just ain't so big."

Hot color soared up Normal's neck and over his cheeks. He instinctively backed away when Max suddenly leaned toward him, seemingly searching for the package that the counter hid. He jerked his clipboard over his crotch and looked around the group, most of whom weren't even trying to hide their amusement. His eyes fell on Alec, who immediately glanced away, ducked his head, and scratched at the back of his neck.

"Miscreants. The lot of you." With that declaration, he turned on his heel and walked away from his snickering employees.

OC smirked at their boss's back and pounded fists with Max. She took two packages off the top of the stack and pushed the rest toward Sketchy. One small hand rose up to his face before he could utter a word of protest. "You owe Original Cindy for spilling beer all over her fine outfit last night, fool. So, I don't wanna hear it."

Alec chuckled and slapped Sketchy on the back before walking his bike toward the lockers. Max made to follow him with her own bike, but the package that OC pressed gently to her chest brought her up short.

"Uh-uh. You, me, sector eight. I'm in need of some quality girl time, boo." Cindy walked up the ramp, completely confident that Max would be right behind her.

Max spared a quick glance for Alec. His back was still to her, but he threw a few fingers up over his shoulder in her direction. She shook her head, lips quirked a bit in the corners, before she turned to follow her best friend out the door.

* * *

A little while later, the two women were leisurely riding along through one of the subdivisions that were scattered across greater Seattle. They hadn't really gotten to the talking part. Just enjoying each other's company, graced by the pleasant weather and a comfortable silence.

Eventually, Cindy's voice broke into the quiet. "How's Doggy-dog doing?"

"He's good." Max smiled at her. "Real good. He can finally move around outside without having to hide his face. And having so many other transgenics around is definitely making him happy."

"So what, has Terminal City become Mecca for transgenics?"

"Pretty much. I guess the word's spread. Seems like every day a transhuman or X-series shows up at one of the sewer entrances." The smile fell from her face. "I mean, we all know this is probably the worse place for a transgenic reunion in the whole country, but they just keep coming. Just this morning Alec and I had to rescue a group of transgenic kids who were cornered in sector two."

Original Cindy was quiet for a moment, a thoughtful frown turning down the corners of her mouth, before asking, "If back in the day you'd gotten word of where one of the others that escaped with you might've been, would you've stayed away? Even knowing Manticore'd be on your tail?" Max barely shook her head before Cindy went on. "I didn't think so. You would've run straight into a burning building if you thought you could see just one of them before the place went up."

"I know," Max conceded with a sigh, "but, it's like we're all coming together and offering ourselves to White on a silver platter. Makes me nervous."

"Y'all have got to be stronger together than you ever were solo. Hard times is here, probably to stay for a good while. But stick wit' your family and friends, and y'all will come out on top, boo."

"I hope your right," Max said sincerely. They'd arrived at the address of their first delivery. Max took the package out of her messenger bag and jogged up the steps of the small house. As the door opened, she put on her perky girl mask and got a huge tip out of the exchange. She returned to OC, and the two rode on in silence once again, allowing her thoughts to turn inward as they so often did.

After a few minutes, Max could feel her best friend's eyes on her. "What," she asked, not realizing that she'd been frowning since they'd set off.

OC arched an eyebrow. "What else is going on in that head of yours? Somethin' else's got you spun. You can't fool Original Cindy. So spill, boo. Is it about your boy?"

"He's not my boy," she responded automatically, her eyes falling to her handlebars. "I mean, we're friends now, I guess. And he's not a complete and utter screw up all the time like I thought."

"Uh-huh."

Max's lips turned quirked up in the smallest of smiles. "Don't get me wrong, Alec is still a complete and total pain in my ass. But…he stuck around." She was almost ready to admit that she'd come to depend on Alec. Not just to be there and watch her back – that part was easy. That happened even back when she was telling herself and everyone else that she didn't trust him and couldn't stand him. No, now she realized that she depended on him to make her laugh, to knock her down a peg when she needed it, to keep her real, and to remind her that she used to love being a revved up chick.

"He's grown on me," she continued with a shrug. "I don't know what else to tell you."

"Sugah, the fact that you assumed when I said 'your boy' I meant Alec and not Logan says everything that Cindy needs to know."

Max looked startled for a moment. "Oh. Yeah. Logan." She stared resolutely ahead, not meeting the other woman's eyes. "I'm cured. We're fine."

"So you've talked to him about what happened that night to put you both in the hospital?"

"Not exactly."

"Girl, how can y'all be a'ight by completely ignoring the mightiest elephant in the room?"

"It's not _that_ big," Max muttered.

"So what's the dealio?" OC pressed.

"I don't know…"

"Boo, do you even still want Logan and you to work?"

"It's not that simple."

"Then explain it to a sistah."

Max bit her lip and tried to think of the words that would express the feelings she was only just starting to sort out. Her friend waited patiently while she tried to come up what to say.

"Logan," she finally began, "has been such an important part of my life for so long now. But, there's so much of myself that I've kept from him. At first I thought I was being myself around him, since he knew my biggest secret. Now I realize that there are so many details – little and big – I've kept from him. A little bit because I was keeping them from myself." She stopped and sighed. "There's always been something safe about dancing around each other."

"Like you can keep up some walls if you're not physical?"

"Yeah, I guess." She was silent for a moment, letting her friend's words sink in. "When Logan found the cure I was already at the point where I though we'd never be together like that. But, at some point I'd made a decision to start on this…path, or whatever. Logan was the way to be normal. I thought that's what I wanted. And it was easier to be normal if I never had to show him all of myself."

"Boo, don't you know that so-called normal, average people spend their entire lives trying to be exactly what you are? Above-average, super-human, better than normal. And they just as turned around as you been."

Max blinked at her friend in surprise. "That's what Alec said."

"Well, I guess they didn't just make the boy pretty after all." The two women shared a look, then Max smirked.

"Let's not jump to any conclusions on that one," Max said in a wry tone.

OC chuckled before turning serious once more. "Wit' the person you love you should feel more like ya'self than you do any other time. You shouldn't have to hide from your man."

Max frowned at her. "I thought you wanted me to be with Logan?"

"I want you happy, boo. If Logan's not the one to help you with that, he's not the one I'm rootin' for, for real. But, you still gotta come correct and talk to the man."

Max nodded, almost to herself. "I still care about him, Cindy. I still even love him. I just don't think it's in the way he's expecting. And I'm starting to think it's not in the way that I need. But, I'm not sure I know how to tell him."

"You'll figure it all out, boo. Just face it head on." She gave Max an encouraging grin, which the other woman returned with a small, grateful smile. "Besides," OC continued, "how do you expect this thing you've got wit' your boy Alec to go anywhere when you've got unfinished business with Logan?"

"Alec and I aren't like that," Max said immediately.

OC made a face. "Oh great. Here we go again."

"Cindy, we're just friends."

"Right. So, you expect me to believe that you believe there ain't no heat between the two of you?" At the sight of a hot pink blush bursting across the caramel of Max's cheeks, OC jerked on her 10-speed's hand brakes and brought herself to a screeching halt curbside. "Spill. Now."

Max's stop was a lot gentler and she sighed as she backpedaled to the other woman. "Well, uh, Alec and I kinda kissed."

"You what?!"

"Yeah. Well, I mean, at the hospital. I woke up a little upset. Alec kissed me. I kinda kissed him back for a brief moment."

"And?"

"And nothing. I shoved him off the bed and then you came in."

"Let me guess. Neither of you has brought this little lip lock up since?" OC rolled her eyes when Max didn't answer her. "Typical."

Max tossed her hair back and sat up straighter. She started pedaling again. "Whatever. It was over in less than a minute. Nothing to talk about. It's not like we got naked."

OC rode up beside her with a knowing smirk. "Oh, but you want to."

"Cindy!"

"Girl, please. If you ask me, it's about damn time you got a little sumpin' sumpin'."

"Cindy..."

She threw up a hand in defense. "Ok, ok. I understand. You're confused about what to do about Logan now that you've got the cure and there's nothing keeping you apart except yourself. Then here's Alec always there and always lookin' pretty and gettin' you in ways that Logan never will."

"I never said all that."

"Oh, you didn't? My bad. I'll leave it alone." OC was quiet for a moment, letting her girl mull over some of what they'd talk about. Finally, she said, "You know it's gonna be a'ight, Max. Stuff is going down, and you need to handle your business, sort through a bitch. Original Cindy got nothin' but respect for that." A slow smile spread across her pretty features. "Just as long as you take time to gossip with your boo, Boo."

Max smiled back. "I promise."

"But, while we're on the subject of booty calls, let's get to the truly important question. Any of those new transgenic honeys comin' to Terminal City battin' for Original Cindy's team?"

At the hopeful expression on OC's face, Max let herself be carried away on a heartfelt laugh. It was music to her best friend's ears as they rode on.

**TBC**


	2. Touching Base

**Chapter 2: Touching Base**

A setting sun painted the heavy clouds scattered overhead a deep, red-gold hue. A misty rain filled the early evening air, darkening Alec's hair and laying it around his ears, across his forehead. It made a soft hiss on the rotting planks of the old docks a hundred feet to his left. He could hear it as he slowly rode his motorbike through a back entrance to Terminal City. It took skill and agility to maneuver even a two-wheeled vehicle through, but Alec had both in spades. The gap, located at the end of a narrow, refuse-strewn alley, had probably existed long before transgenics had taken up residence. It was more a jagged hole cut into the barbed wire and chain link than a welcoming doorway. There was so much junk bottled in the space between two hulking warehouse structures that passersby would assume the alley was just a dead end.

Alec kept his head down as he squeezed through the alley into the wide street beyond. Blinking through the droplets that collected on his lashes, he surveyed the street through which he was now riding. He took note of the few homeless, addicts, and teen runaways seeking meager shelter from the cold rain in crumbling doorways. He was more worried about the water dripping down his collar to trickle cold and uncomfortable under his shirt than he was about anyone catching a glimpse of the back of his neck. Having recently had his turn under Max's favorite tattoo-removing laser, he knew that his barcode wouldn't start reappearing for at least another week.

Nevertheless, he kept a wary eye on his surroundings while he passed through. As far as he was concerned, he was still in enemy territory. Fortunately, the hopeless and abandoned humans were all too wrapped up in their own misery to pay him any mind. He kept moving. Sometimes he rolled along cluttered main streets, sometimes down side alleys. There were gutted buildings that doubled as passageways. He rode through them, not surprised that it was raining just as much within those structures as without. Alec's path might have seemed random, but it was far from it.

In the weeks that he had spent in TC several perimeter rings had developed in narrowing circles around the heart of the transgenics' haven. The first was the fenced border surrounding the ten square block area that had originally been quarantined after the Pulse in 2009. Official signs touting '**DANGER**' and '**WARNING**' and '**BIOHAZARD**' kept most of Seattle's inhabitants well away. Those that did venture past the initial cordon were the city's most destitute inhabitants for whom the promise of any shelter – no matter how toxic – was too precious to ignore.

They kept to the outermost buildings, though. Too many stories had been told around communal trashcan fires about people dying in horrible and painful ways from the remaining contamination for even the bravest of these poor souls to explore any further. For the transgenics, the sea of homeless and rejected was their camouflage. They did not dwell in that first circle, though they monitored the area.

Alec finally stopped his motorbike and dismounted in front of what appeared to have once been a deli. Through it was an entrance to the second zone. He pushed his bike past refrigerator cases, now standing empty within cracked glass, and dust-covered shelving, toppled like rows of dominoes. Anyone really looking would have noticed that the floor had been swept clean of virtually all dust and debris. Still, the swept floor was less conspicuous than visible footprints and wheel tracks would have been.

The interior of the deli was pretty dark to begin with, but in the room at the very back it was pitch black. There were small windows high in the walls, but the transgenics had painted and taped over them to the point that not even the tiniest sliver of light penetrated. The darkness was so complete that a human would never even be able to see one foot in front of his face without a flashlight, not to mention the door that lead to the outside. Most of the transgenics, if not all, were engineered with acute night-vision. So, while the room definitely appeared very, very shadowed to Alec, he had no problem moving through it.

He emerged from the back of the deli into another alley, though this one was wider and mostly cleared of debris. He lifted his head, shaking his dripping bangs out of his eyes, and made sure that at least two of the hidden surveillance cameras got good views of his face. In Terminal City someone was always watching. Vigilance was not something they easily put aside. It was true of all transgenics, but especially of the transhumans and anomalies. Those whose more obvious genetic engineering did not allow them to hide in plain sight never forgot that TC was an oasis smack in the middle of the frontline. That oasis was to be guarded no matter what. Alec knew that, if not Dix or Luke, some anomaly was surely manning the security feeds.

The second zone was virtually empty and void of life. It was the area where trespassers were challenged at gunpoint after dark. Like a moat, it was the transgenics' first line of defense. Since Alec, Joshua, and Max had arrived less than a month ago, security for this area had been stepped up. With the existence of transgenics now a media focus and with so many new arrivals, it was necessary. The transgenics were even in the process of blocking off streets and boarding up certain buildings so it would appear to someone who did not belong that there were no paths leading to the heart of the quarantined area. The transgenics knew otherwise. There were now well-hidden points of entry placed in primary positions that were always secured by rotating sentries.

Alec hopped on his motorbike once again and rode through the streets until he reached the loading dock of what had once been a large warehouse. He rode up the ramp leading to the roll-down metal gate that concealed a loading bay beyond. There was a reinforced fire door just to the left of the gate, its small, portal-view window boarded up and blacked out. Alec walked up to it and banged four times with one fist. He then looked up and winked at the camera hidden just above the gate, even though he knew the sentries had spotted, identified, and tracked him since the moment he'd breached the second perimeter.

After a few moments, the gate rolled up with the groan that only old steel can make. Alec winced and pushed his bike through. The gate came down with a clang and a shudder as soon as he was clear on the other side. He tossed his fingers up in a salute to an X3 perched in the rafters on a rigged platform. The X4 – _Packer_, Alec recalled – had a high powered rifle pressed snug to his shoulder, barrel now pointing away from Alec. He gave a terse nod before speaking the all clear into the radio at his side.

Alec exited the warehouse and glanced up. The rain was petering out and the heavy clouds were moving on, he was glad to note. The sun was below the horizon now, and inky blue was spreading across the sky, east to west. Sentry shifts would be changing soon. The first night shift of transhumans would arrive to take over for their X-series counterparts who walked the walls when the sun was up.

Unlike the rest of downtown Seattle at night, Terminal City was dark. They barely had enough surplus power to run the common areas and their surveillance systems, and what they did have was carefully siphoned from the main Seattle power grid so as not to draw attention. It was still relatively quiet in the streets, but there was a marked increase in activity within the third circle. The inhabitants who lived in this section were coming in and out of makeshift and hollowed out apartments as he passed.

There were so many new arrivals daily that self-imposed segregation no longer seemed the most efficient or tactically sound method of existence. Instead, many of the older X-series were now housed in the third circle that ran the entire circumference of TC, instead of clustering in a group over on Oak Street. Though many of the X3s and X4s exhibited some of the physical traits of their animal genetics, a trespasser would need to get well within striking distance in order to notice. At a distant glance they'd look just as human as the later X-series.

Alec moved pretty swiftly now. He was past the most fortified perimeters, within the areas where the transgenics actually lived, and there were very few detours he would have to take on his way to the epicenter. Since the other Xs didn't seem inclined to stop him to chat, he could keep his head down and keep moving.

After just a few blocks, the third circle gave way to the area where the combat-trained transhumans lived. Most of the fourth zone's residents were from the desert units. Their genetic mix was heavily comprised of reptilian DNA. Alec was not at all surprised to see only a very few of them out on the damp, chilly streets. He passed beneath the dilapidated buildings and spotted a couple of the overgrown lizards huddled together inside one of the apartments. He chuckled quietly when he remembered that Max had recently scored a bunch of camping-grade space heaters for the lot.

_They'll probably never come outside again_, he thought.

Here Alec was greeted with more warmth – a raised hand, a genuine smile, an enthusiastic nod from those anomalies that recognized him as Joshua's friend. Among those who were once caged in Manticore's basement, Josh was something of a beloved guardian, a protecting older brother. By association, Max and Alec had become favorites among the anomalies and transhumans that Manticore had given up on.

Though there was now definite method to the housing in TC, the living arrangements were not rigidly controlled. TC residents who'd been there a while were not asked to displace to conform to the new order. Additionally, some units – whether they were the pre-assigned, series-based corps designated by Manticore or the mismatched groups that formed after its destruction – opted to stick together. Alec, Max, and Josh were a perfect example of that. Besides, there were only so many inhabitable buildings in each ring. Their system may not have been flawless, but it provided the transgenics with an added sense of security and order – which was something they all instinctively craved.

At the heart of it all lay Central Command. Alec left his motorbike parked in the crumbling lot on the north wall and walked into the building with his bulging messenger bag slung across his chest. There were already a number of bodies congregating in the large former warehouse. Night and day, there was always someone at Command manning the many surveillance feeds, dealing with new arrivals, cleaning weapons, monitoring the newly acquired police scanners, watching the ordinaries' news programs, or just spending time not alone.

As usual it was dim and chilly in the building. There was idle chatter and laughter filling the space with a low buzz. It was so very different than the din he had grown accustomed to among human crowds. The transgenics rarely got truly noisy, even when they were cutting loose. While none of them was ready to break completely away from the discipline that Manticore had instilled in them from birth, they were more than ready to revel in some of their newfound freedom on the outside. Suddenly, they were no longer living under enforced commands of lights out or the restrictions of regimented fraternization. The result was that once the sun dipped below the horizon, Command turned into something of a subdued party zone.

Alec had entered from the doors closest to the communications area that was the hub of Command. He took the platform steps two at a time, hailing two transhumans huddling near the monitors as he went.

"Hey Luke, Dix. How's it going?" The two men raised their heads at his greeting.

Luke gave him a welcoming grin while Dix answered, "Pretty well, all things considered." His words came in a slow and stately cadence while he blinked through his monocle at Alec.

Alec stopped in front of them and flipped open his bag. "Glad to hear it. I've got that hardware you wanted." He placed a few motherboards of varying sizes on the counter along with a translucent plastic cylinder containing several microchips on the table. "You'd be amazed at what ordinaries leave laying around behind locked doors," he said with a smirk.

A slight X6 with a shock of short, raven hair suddenly appeared from behind the bank of monitors. She had several computer wires of different colors draped around her neck, a small flashlight gripped between her teeth, and a slender screwdriver stuck behind one ear. Her grey eyes widened comically when she saw the bounty Alec had laid out. With a little noise of excitement, she snatched up the motherboards disappeared back behind the equipment.

Alec chuckled and jerked his head in the girl's general direction. "What are you guys rigging with this stuff anyway?"

Still smiling, Luke answered, "Well, Van back there's masterminding some tricky booby traps in case anyone tries to hack our surveillance feeds or any of our other systems here." He paused to pick up the little container of microchips that was the only thing Van had left behind. "Kinney! Heads up."

When another transhuman – this one with skin the color of red mud and eyes that were a solid cloudy white – looked over from across the room Luke tossed the chips to him. Kinney held the cylinder up to the light and a slow grin broke across his face. He nodded his thanks at both Luke and Alec.

Alec waved a sketchy salute in acknowledgement. "Another one of your computer geeks?"

"Yeah," Dix chimed in with a wry smile. "His team is writing one program to interface the Xs' and the freaks' feeds so that every camera will come through Command's monitors now, and another one that will pull up the feed closest to a triggered alarm anywhere in TC."

"Nice. Will there be other viewing stations? You know, just in case we ever have to abandon Command and set up shop in another secure location?"

Dix nodded. "Of course. We're fully prepared to go remote and sabotage this station on the way out."

"Are you surprised?" came a gruff and belligerent voice just at Alec's back. "It ain't like the freaks can't come up with these things without the guidance of you precious X-series."

"Never said you couldn't," Alec responded without turning to look at Mole. He gave Luke a good natured pat on the back and nodded at Dix. "Let me know if I can get you guys anything else."

Luke's ever present grin shined even brighter. "Sure thing, Alec. Thanks."

"Not a problem, buddy."

He finally turned away to find Mole squarely blocking his path. The lizard-man was sporting fatigues, an ever-present stub of a cigar clenched firmly between his teeth. Alec faced him with a tiny smile and a raised eyebrow, but made no move to get around him.

Finally Mole grunted, "What're you lookin' at?"

Alec pouted and asked with mock-sincerity, "Does somebody need a hug?" The larger man scrunched his face in disgust, but swiftly stepped out of Alec's way.

"Well, you just let me know if you change your mind." He moved past before Mole could see the smirk on his face. By the time he reached the bottom of the platform there was a definite spring in his step.

"Anyone seen Joshua?" He addressed the question to the larger area. Mole was still scowling, but the rest of the folks on the platform shook their heads 'no'.

A male X5 that Alec vaguely recognized was the one who answered, "Probably at mess. I heard him say something about feeding the newest junior grunts."

Alec grinned. "Thanks, man."

The X5 didn't smile back or even say 'you're welcome'. He just gave a terse but coldly polite nod of his head and said, "Four nine four," before turning his back on Alec.

A familiar knot twisted in the pit of Alec's stomach, but he tamped down on it. His smile fell immediately and a painfully neutral expression slammed down in its place. He could feel Luke, Mole, and Dix watching the exchange with curiosity. They weren't the only ones who noticed. Several X5s and X4s in the area were stealing glances at him too, though theirs seemed far more knowing.

_It's just a few. It doesn't matter. Not then, not now._

Alec stood a little taller and allowed a smirk to tug at his lips. He raised his hand in a last goodbye to Dix and Luke, before walking casually out of Command. Once he was he was out in the night, his expression wiped again. He breathed in the chilly air, and headed for the mess hall.

Within a radius of a few blocks were the newly designated med center, the mess hall, and training grounds. The locations effectively formed a triangle around Command. To the left, the building that they'd converted into the med center was two levels of mostly wide open space. They'd had to curtain off areas and remove a few of the remaining tall shelves before it looked like a respectable medical center. Max had thought it might have been a large shopping center similar to a commissary before the Pulse hit. Whatever it had been, the bull's-eye logo hanging on the outside of the building had had to go. They'd all been in agreement on that point.

In the opposite direction was an old high school with a small track on the fenced-in roof and a large gym on the top floor. It also had a huge cafeteria and fully equipped, if decrepit, kitchen on the first floor. When Alec, Max, and Josh had joined the ranks in Terminal City little over three weeks earlier, the transhumans had already been using the school's cafeteria. Once the X-series started mixing in with them, it seemed natural to use the rest of the schools facilities to get the physical exercise they all craved. With all its many classrooms, the school was also the most logical place to house any communal contraband that the X-series had been able to score – including a growing arsenal that Mole had assigned himself to manage.

Behind Command, on the final point of the triangle, were a series of squat buildings. Some were intact, but others had crumbled almost to their foundations. Many of the transgenics had taken to climbing the walls and using the maze-like disaster zone as a sort of obstacle course. Alec could see glimpses of the area as he headed toward the school. It looked like a group of X6s were testing out the rappelling equipment that Cece had brought in earlier in the week.

Which reminded him, he hadn't pulled off a good heist in some time. He was kind of itching for it, too. A little B&E brought on an adrenaline rush that was close to what he used to feel in the middle of a mission. He'd been bred to crave that rush. They all had been. Of course, hanging out with Max and being constantly hunted by White brought another type of rush. Was it any wonder that he'd stuck around Seattle for so long?

He arrived at the school and followed the sound of children's voices straight into the large cafeteria. The walls had probably been a harsh white under florescent lighting back before the ordinaries abandoned the area. Now the tiles were yellowed under a decade of dust, and the low level of power the trannies had managed to route into the room was only enough to light some of the florescent cells, and those flickered constantly.

The seven transgenics that he and Max had rescued that morning sat along the benches on either side of a long table. Even on the run, being on the outside had clearly made this band of X8s more child-like. They were all talking over each other and laughing. It struck Alec because it wasn't anything he ever would have seen back at Manticore, where TAC officers stood over them while they ate in silence. Even after lights out, the only socializing that anyone dared attempt was done in the barest hiss of a whisper. And even that was rare, or so Alec barely remembered.

The kids definitely looked cleaner than they had that morning, even if they were still rough around the edges. Someone must have shown them to showers and fresh sets of clothes. They'd need to look into getting more child-sized kits. Every one of the X8s had on at least one item of clothing that had been cuffed, rolled, or tied in place. A couple of the youngest were just swimming in fabric. Yet, they were all dry, smiling, and had plates of mac'n'cheese piled high, so Alec figured they didn't mind the ill-fitting gear too much.

He felt a tingle of pride to note that though they were less rigid they were no less vigilant and no less aware of their surroundings. Within three heartbeats of him spotting them, every single child at the table was aware of his presence. Most of them just smiled shyly or nodded, though they all lowered their voices as he approached. A platinum haired girl who looked about seven had fallen completely silent by the time Alec reached the table, studying him with an unblinking ice-blue gaze. This was the one that Max swore had a little crush on him. He gave her his best smirk and a wink. Her pale brows rose minutely, but other than that her expression remained steady, her gaze unwavering. It would have been unnerving if she weren't so damned cute.

The youngest of the group seemed just as quiet, but, somehow, also more animated. A little boy who was no more than five sat shoulder to shoulder with the miniature ice princess and was in appearance her exact opposite. He had a head full of tight, unruly dark curls, cherubic deep brown cheeks, a button nose smattered with darker freckles that in sheer numbers beat Alec's own, and brown eyes that held an intelligence that most people would overlook. Those eyes seemed to twinkle just a little when Alec winked at his companion.

Alec looked away from the odd couple and addressed the oldest of the gathered Xs, twin girls of about ten with golden skin, straight black hair, and black, almond-shaped eyes. "You all have a place to bunk down for the night?"

There was an immediate chorus of "Yes, sir!"

"Name's Alec," he said with a grin, and let his eyes wander down the table. "That's what you call me." He made sure he was looking the little blonde in the eye when he said the last.

She blinked at him before giving a solemn nod. Alec smile grew wider and he glanced down the table at each of the kids in turn. "I suggest that if you don't already have one, each of you pick out a name for yourself, not just a designation. Max – the cranky brunette with me this morning when we found you – well, she likes to hand out names. Sometimes she's good, but most of the time the names are pretty awful. Consider yourselves warned."

The kids nodded in response and continued to beam at him. They were warm and safe and together, and that knowledge just radiated out of them. Their happiness was contagious, and Alec felt somehow lighter just by standing in front of them.

"You guys know where Joshua is?"

The five year old answered in a voice gruff and deep enough to belong to a child at least twice his age and size. "He's in the kitchen, Alec. That way," he said, pointing at the large doorway at the back of the room.

Alec tipped a mock salute, which they all returned with parade ground precision. He couldn't help the chuckle as he turned away to head toward the kitchen. The rug rats were growing on him. Max was going to have a field day when she found out.

"Hey, Josh? You back here buddy?"

"Over here with inventory!"

"Inventory?" Alec muttered to himself as he followed Joshua's voice toward the very back of the kitchen. There was a huge walk-in freezer next to an even larger walk-in storage room. He found his friend in the latter, surrounded by cans, cases, and boxes. He wasn't alone either. An X3 named Sphinx was also sitting amidst the chaos writing on a legal pad that had seen much better days.

"Hey, Alec," Joshua said with a huge grin.

"Heya, Josh."

"Mini-grunts still chowing?"

"Oh yeah. What're you doing back here?"

"Trying to find more food. More and more keep coming to new home. Hungry. Especially all those little Xs."

"Well it looks like you've got plenty here. Where'd this all come from?"

"Already here."

"You mean all of this has been here since before the Pulse?"

"It was locked up pretty tight," offered Sphinx.

Joshua nodded. "Had to break door. Upstairs people not strong enough."

"Josh this should last us at least a few weeks."

The big guy shook his shaggy head, but it was the X3 that declared, "It's not all good. Some is too old to eat, even with our resilient constitutions." He shrugged. "Considering the rate at which new people keep showing up, I'd say there's enough for one week, maybe a little more."

"Huh, that is a problem. Hungry transgenics are grumpy transgenics." Alec nibbled on the side of his thumb. "Swing by Command tomorrow morning. We'll put our heads together with the rest and see what we can come up with."

Sphinx gave a sharp nod. "Copy that."

"In the meantime," Alec slapped a hand down on Joshua's shoulder, "could I steal you away for a couple minutes, buddy?"

"Sure thing, Alec." He followed his smaller friend out of the storage room and over to a steel counter.

"I got those books you were looking for." Alec lugged several large books from his pack. "You couldn't go for some reading that was a little lighter, buddy? I'm sure I could get my hands on some nice paperback pre-Pulse comic books for you next time."

Joshua took the topmost tome and flipped through pages of measurements and colorful photographs of foods. "Now that have power in digs, want to make nice dinner for close friends. Like last time," he paused to look up at Alec, "but better."

There were several ways Alec could have taken his friend's words. He chose the path that didn't run through the minefield.

"Ah, so you need the books for a new recipe. To, uh, broaden your culinary horizons." Alec grinned.

For a heartbeat or two Joshua didn't respond, just stared at Alec with a knowing look in his eyes. Then he smiled back and said, "Joshua want to make an impression."

"It's not like that's hard for you, buddy," said Alec with a wry chuckle.

Joshua just grunted, already engrossed in his new books. Alec rolled his eyes at his friend's level of concentration.

"There's more."

"More?"

"This is for you, big guy." Alec pulled a new cell phone out of his bag. "Hold down one to speed dial Max, two to speed dial me."

Joshua tilted his head in curiosity and accepted the silver device from Alec. Though this phone was one of the larger models with easier keypad navigation, it still looked miniscule in the palm of his gigantic hand. He turned it over a few times, examining it closely.

"Tricks and treats."

"Welcome to the 21st century, buddy."

"Thanks, Medium Fella."

Alec just shrugged and readjusted his now-empty messenger bag. "Max been by here recently?"

"No. Why? Max in trouble?" It said something about the state of their lives lately that even cheerful Joshua was starting to expect bad news around every corner.

"Nah, we're all good. She's probably just off brooding somewhere."

"Alec going to distract her?"

"That's the plan, buddy."

"Good." Joshua started collecting all his books, juggling them while holding the phone in his hand like a delicate thing. "Want to cook for family tomorrow night. Invite Cindy for Joshua?"

Alec let his hesitance show on his face as he thought about exposing their friend to the potential toxins surrounding their new home. But before he could voice his concerns, Joshua spoke up.

"Already talked to Eve, Alec. Said okay for short visits."

Some of the tension left Alec as he clapped the large transhuman on one shoulder. "Ok then, Josh. I'll probably see her tonight. I'll pass the word along."

A huge canine grin overtook the other man's face. "Remind Lil' Fella too."

Alec grinned cheekily and gave a double thumbs up in answer, only to be shoved off balance when a now-chuckling Joshua freed a hand to push at his shoulder. "Uh, ow," he grumbled while rubbing at the offended limb. "Max is the abusive one, remember?"

Still chuckling, Joshua simply patted Alec's head and walked away. Alec grinned at his friend's back before heading out to find Max.

**TBC**


	3. Recreation Ruined

**Chapter 3: Recreation Ruined**

A sharp wind swept damp hair back from Max's cheeks, bringing with it the scent of the recent winter rain. She closed her eyes and put her head back, breathing in as deeply as she could. She let her slow, full breaths clear her mind. The air was always so much cleaner up here, high above the city. Her legs were drawn up to her chest, and her hands were burrowed in the pockets of her black leather jacket. She focused on each inhale and each exhale. Moments like this one were the closest she could get to peace.

When she opened her eyes again to the blue-black sky, she imagined that she was actually floating in the night air. Perched as she was at the very edge of the metal disc, Seattle lay at her feet. She could see clear across the city. Lights twinkled and flickered below her. She remembered a time when she used to come up to the Space Needle and think about how alone she felt in this big world. Now she didn't go a single day without spending time with others like herself. They may not be her siblings, but they were some kind of motley family. They made her feel like she was a part of something, instead of adrift in a broken world without anyone to watch her back.

Sometimes that feeling of someone at her back was even literal. She knew Alec was watching her from the glassless windows of the observation deck. She'd heard him arrive minutes ago, but didn't bother to acknowledge him. She was surprised to realize she found being watched oddly comforting, and it seemed that he was content to be the one watching for a little while longer. She tasted the damp air on the back of her tongue and for once just let them both be.

He didn't bother to announce himself when he eventually decided to join her. He just stepped out onto the sloping metal, strolled to the lip, and settled himself down beside her.

"Space Needle looked a little strange with only one gargoyle," he said in greeting.

Max didn't look at him or reply, just leaned into him slightly until their shoulders bumped. Then she leaned away again, though not quite as far. Alec took a moment to gaze across the night sky where heavy dark clouds threatened to pour buckets at any moment…once again.

"Nice night," he said, his tone casual and vaguely sarcastic.

"Not like it's the first time we've sat up here in the rain," she said quietly. Alec gave the tiniest nod in response. He dimly recalled the pounding of a thunderstorm and the strength of her arms around him.

For a while they sat there together, both staring into the distance. Max stole a glance at Alec, for once silent and still beside her. His presence didn't disrupt the peace she was feeling at all. It was actually kind of nice having him at her side. She went back to her meditative state, enjoying the slight bite of the breeze across her cheeks and the whispering movement of her hair over her leather-clad shoulders.

"I spy with my little eye," Alec's quiet rumble broke the silence, "something nine meters in length, and ugly as sin." When Max looked at him like he'd just told her he had a secret crush on Ames White, he smiled. "It's a game that ordinary children play," he explained.

"I know what it is. I'm wondering how the hell you know what it is."

His smile dimmed and he looked back off into the distance. "Rachel liked to play it. She'd try to distract me from her piano lessons." He said it matter-of-factly, neither distant nor openly grieving.

Max stared at his profile for a few heartbeats before also casting her gaze over the city. Less than ten seconds later she said, "Puke green Hummer stretch limo with ultraviolet chassis reflectors, click and a half, north-northwest. The owner should be put out of our misery."

Alec grinned full force, the skin at the corners of his moss-colored eyes crinkling with it. "Nice." He waved a hand out, indicating the whole city. "Your turn."

One corner of Max's mouth turned up indulgently before she looked across the city in search of a target. "I spy with my little eye…"

They played the game for some time. Max found herself really getting into it, choosing the smallest objects they could see at a distance and making her clues more and more obscure. She had the sharper sight, but he had the more creative descriptions. The longer they played the brighter his eyes sparkled and the giddier she felt.

It was Max's turn again, and she was searching the Seattle streets for an appropriately challenging mark when Alec said, "He's fine, you know."

Taken aback by the total non sequitur, she turned her head to stare at him. Alec just met her eyes with a small shrug. Her gaze slid back across the city's nightline and she swallowed hard before saying, "Maybe."

Alec grunted. "Bullshit."

She narrowed her eyes and scowled at him. "Fine. You're right. I know Zack can take care of himself."

"Then what are you worried about?"

She avoided his eyes and hesitated a moment before she answered him. "I'm not sure it's worry."

"What is it then?" He watched her chew on her bottom lip.

"Guilt," she sighed. "I think I feel guilty." Her words hung between them for several heartbeats before she spoke again. "We weren't designed to be chumps, right? It was only a matter of time before Zack figured it all out. And because of Logan and me, he was alone when he did."

She paused again and Alec didn't rush to fill the silence. On some level he must have agreed with her. Some part of her was glad he never just told her what she wanted to hear to make her feel better. Another part of her wished he would. Max let her head drop to rest on her knees. She could feel Alec watching her again as he sat quietly, waiting for her to continue.

"We must have been high not to think something like this was bound to happen – with or without the media coverage on transgenics," she spoke into her lap. "I mean, we sent Zack to the middle of nowhere to be just a regular guy. But, even without his memories, he was going to eventually realize that he's revved up." She paused and shook her head, the waves of her hair brushing back and forth along her calves. "Logan and Buddy think Zack assimilated, but we've spent most of our lives blending and hiding in plain sight. I'm starting the think that he probably figured out that he was really, really different long before the news broke."

Max lifted her head to find Alec nodding. "You're probably right," he said frankly.

She shook her hair back from her face and looked up at the cloud-filled night sky. "I remember just after the escape, discovering how very different ordinaries were. It was a shock, finding out how little they could see and hear, how quickly they got tired, how easily they got hurt. I mean, I knew back at Manticore that we were different from Lydecker and the TAC officers and the doctors, but I didn't understand how much."

Alec leaned back onto his elbows, stretching his long legs out to dangle over the rim of the Needle. One eyebrow was raised sharply as he looked at her out of the corner of his eye. "It's not like they participated in maneuvers with us. They commanded; we followed orders." His lips twisted into a self-mocking grimace. "And since nothing we did was ever good enough, why would we ever think we were anything other than really expensive, slightly imperfect tools."

"Nothing special," she whispered.

"Yeah."

Max turned to the side until she was facing him. She crossed her legs at the ankles and let her knees drop, pulling her hands out of her pockets to play with the fraying hem of her jeans. She watched her fingers twisting and combing through the strands of denim.

"I think I'm scared too." At her words Alec turned his face to her fully, both eyebrows now raised. She kept her focus on her jeans when she continued, "I'm scared that Zack'll remember what happened here and think I betrayed him by sending him away." Her voice lowered, the next words forced past her tightening throat, "I'm scared that he might even be right."

Alec made a noncommittal noise low in his throat, shifting a little on his elbows. "When you sent him away it kind of surprised me," he said slowly, like he was thinking about each word before he voiced it. "Even though his head wasn't quite right, and there was the possibility of him becoming a threat – I don't know – " he broke off.

"What?" Max prodded when it seemed like he might not go on.

"The whole time I've known you, Max, you're always going on about how important it is to stay with your unit. Whenever I've heard you talk about the other '09ers, it seemed like no one could ever mean more to you."

"They were the most important thing to me. I used to think about them every single day."

"Used to?"

Max didn't answer. Alec could tell that he'd struck a nerve and that she was listening very intently to everything he said. She held herself tense and she stared exceptionally hard at her ankles. He made it a little easier on her by letting his eyes slide away from her and back to the skyline before speaking again.

"I know that there were other '09ers working with you and Zack when you blew up the DNA lab back at Manticore," he let the statement hang there.

"Syl and Krit," Max said haltingly, as if she had to push the words through her throat. "I remember," her voice stopped suddenly, and she let her head fall even farther forward until her wavy hair entirely obscured her face. She breathed deeply for a few moments before she continued, "I remember it felt really amazing to be on a mission with them again. Like no time had passed. I felt the same way when I was fighting next to my older sister Tinga."

Max was in the midst of an absolutely sensory memory. She wasn't just remembering the moments that she spent with her siblings or the time they had together when the were young, she was also bombarded with all the feelings that she felt at those times. A sense of warmth, of pride, of belonging, of safety and security, of love. All the feelings rolled together, crashing into her with an intensity that clenched her gut with longing. She managed to suppress the sob into a mild gasp. She hugged her legs tighter to her chest and schooled her breathing.

Alec was perfectly still next to her, but his next words reached out to her all the same. "Maybe that's what family is supposed to feel like?"

She thought about that for a moment, let it sink in. Lifting her head a little, she studied Alec's profile. "Zack had been around to check on me before, and it felt right with him around. Like my world was just a little off until he showed," she confessed. "With each additional one of us, I felt even better, even stronger. Two of us together was good, but four of us together was amazing."

"It sounds like it should've been a lot harder to send one of them away. So what happened?" Alec's question was blunt, but there wasn't any accusation in his tone, just genuine curiosity.

"It felt different this last time with Zack. It's hard to explain." She bit her lip, and a little crease formed between her eyes as she tried to express herself. "It felt like we didn't fit the way we used to. I was so glad to see him alive, but I felt sort of removed. Like there was a wall or something between us."

"You think it had something to do with him being crazy Robo-Zack?"

Max shook her head slowly. "I don't think so. I mean, in the past even when it was bad, it still felt good. I still felt totally connected." Her voice lowered a little when she said, "Even with Ben."

They both hesitated at them mention of Alec's twin, but then he asked, "Is Zack the only 09er you've seen since Manticore went down?"

"Yeah."

"Huh." He started chewing on the tip of his thumb. "Why?"

"What?"

Alec rolled his eyes at her. "Why haven't there been any grand family reunions? From the stories I've heard, you spent most of last year looking for any trace of the rest of your unit."

Max shrugged. "I don't know. This year there's just been so much going on: White, the virus, all the freaks running around, Joshua." She shrugged again and said, "There were so many other things to focus on. Somehow, looking for them just wasn't as important anymore." She paused and frowned deeply, her head cocked to the side in confusion.

"Is seeing them again important now?" Alec question broke in before she could follow her train of thought.

Max considered his question for a minute before nodding. "Yeah. I would give a lot to know where they all are, to know they're all okay. I've been thinking about them a lot lately. Really missing them, you know?"

She glanced up and saw something change in Alec's expression. She narrow her eyes at him. "What's going on in that little brain of yours, Alec?"

"Like I told you before, Maxie: they had ways of making you not care." It took Max a moment to figure out that Alec was talking about Manticore.

"I don't know, Alec," she said doubtfully. "I mean, Renfro showed me Zack while I was there, and I felt a strong pull to him. And I was really happy to see you when I thought you were Ben."

Alec's face scrunched up. "Aw, I'm touched," he said with heavy sarcasm.

She cuffed the back of his head. "You know what I mean. If Renfro and her little mad scientists were tinkering with me, I wouldn't have felt those things."

"You were in PsyOps one last time though, remember? Right before Renfro let you escape."

Max's eyes widened as she thought about the possibility that Manticore had done something to her to interfere with her loyalty to her sibs. Then another thought occurred to her and she asked sharply, "You think maybe another side effect of the cure last month somehow reversed whatever it was that PsyOps did?"

Alec shrugged. "It's possible. I mean, it changed your eyes and scent." He smirked. "What's a little reverse brainwashing?"

"Maybe you're right."

"Wow, that's like the third time you've said that today. Don't worry, I won't let it go to my head."

"Shut it, pretty boy," she said. He grinned and she gave a little lopsided smile in return. For a few moments, they were both still again, just looking across the city lights.

Until Max sighed. She could practically hear Alec's eyes roll when he asked, "What now?"

She sighed again and leaned down to lay on her side, propping her head up on one hand. The long waves of her hair fell over her neck and cheek, and she rubbed at the metal of the Space Needle with her other hand. "Just wondering what they all look like today. Wondering if they think about me."

He reached out and tucked some of her hair behind her ear. Her gaze lifted to his face and he dropped his hand. "You'll see them all again, Maxie."

"You think?"

"Yeah, I think."

"Thanks."

"Anytime." For a few moments their eyes locked. Max became hyper-aware of Alec lying beside her. She could feel the heat radiating from him through the cool winter night. He smelled like clean male, and she thought she detected a little dampness to his scent, as if he'd gotten caught in the rain earlier. The breeze kept playing in the light brown hair across his forehead and curling at the nape of his neck. Even by moonlight, she could see the gold and green flecks in his hazel eyes. Those eyes flicked down to her mouth before looking up again.

He grinned suddenly. "C'mon. Let's go get a drink and laugh at Sketchy's sad attempts to get laid."

Avoiding the kissing issue wasn't the healthiest of approaches, but hey, they were transgenics. Being emotionally well-adjusted just wasn't their thing.

She smiled back at him and rose to her feet in one smooth motion. Alec stood as well and immediately tugged at one of the damp curls sweeping her shoulders. He only did that when her hair was wild and wavy.

"Quit it!" She batted his hand away and moved quickly up the metal disc toward the barren windows. Alec was smirking when he caught up to her.

When they finally emerged from the base of the tower, Max saw that Alec had parked his motorcycle right next to her Ninja. She ran her hand over the chassis and wheels of his bike, peering at some of the new hardware they'd installed a few days earlier.

"How's that new flat slide carb working out for you?" She glanced over her shoulder at Alec.

"Still running like a dream," he replied with a lopsided grin. "Hey, Josh wants to make us dinner tomorrow night."

Max smiled back and moved over to her own bike. "Yeah?"

"And he wants us to invite Original Cindy." He put the key into his ignition, the sound of the engine turning over pouring into the night. "He cleared it with Eve and everything."

"Sounds great," Max said and swung her leg over her baby, settling in and starting her up. They each slipped on a pair of dark sunglasses and riding gloves. She was acutely aware of Alec watching her from behind his shades.

She smirked at him and asked, "You ready?"

Alec grinned and revved his engine. "Always."

Max raised an eyebrow and took off.

They paid no attention to the posted speed limits as they raced between traffic on the freeway. It was a great night to go fast. Alec's Duke wasn't really a match for Max's Ninja, but it wasn't a competition – not right now anyway.

* * *

Crash was packed, which was not unusual for nine o'clock any night of the week. Max led the way through the throng of young bodies. She could feel Alec pressed behind her, just a little to her left. They squeezed up to the bar where he ordered them drinks while Max searched the gaps in the crowd for their friends. After a few moments she felt the warmth of his broad palm settle on her shoulder. She turned and accepted the two pints of beer he held out to her.

"I don't see them," Max said, her voice barely raised. She knew that Alec would be able to hear her even over the amplified bass throbbing through the air. "How's the view from up there?"

He held a full pitcher of beer in one hand and a tumbler of his usual scotch in the other as he scanned the crowds beyond the bar. He had about half a foot of height over her and could look beyond many of the people that blocked her sight. Max noticed his pupils blow wide and guessed that he was most likely also using his enhanced hearing to locate their friends. After a few moments one corner of his mouth tilted up in a smirk. His pupils contracted once again as he focused back on her face.

"Pool tables. Sounds like Sketchy's already down about a paycheck."

"What a surprise," Max said with a smile in her voice and roll of her eyes. She turned to head toward the alcoves at the back of the cavernous bar, and Alec followed close again.

They found their two closest friends standing by the pool table at the farthest wall in the room. More than half the striped balls were on the table, but the solids and the eight ball were out of sight. Cindy's hip was cocked against the table. She sipped her beer, one eyebrow sharply arched. With that sardonic expression, she watched Sketchy pouting at her. Cindy smiled wide when she noticed Max and Alec approaching.

"Hey, boos. Original Cindy was wonderin' when y'all was gonna show. Had to pass the time takin' this poor fool's money."

"You know, Cindy," Sketchy leaned on his pool cue and gave her his best attempt at puppy dog eyes, "if you feel bad about it, you could just let me keep my paltry wages."

"Silly, delusional lil' white boy," she said and patted his cheek. "I expect payment by next Friday. In cash, not beer."

Max raised an eyebrow at the lanky blonde. "Listen to you, all 'paltry wages.' Careful Sketch, you might lose your stoner cred you keep using big words."

He grinned. "I've been attempting to broaden my vocabulary in honor of my kick ass freelance gig with _New World Weekly_. Figure if I impress the boss, it'll get me in on the bigger stories."

She rolled her eyes. "Oh yeah, you've really set your sights high with that rag."

"Mock if you like, but all that's keeping me from greatness is the right story."

"Thataboy, Sketch," Alec encouraged. "Don't let The Man – or Max – keep you down."

Predictably, Max hit him in the shoulder. Alec rolled his eyes and kept grinning. He nodded toward Cindy and said, "How about we team up and let Sketch maybe win his money back? Me and Sketch against you and Max. Double or nothing."

Cindy turned to look at Max. "How 'bout it, boo? You game to kick a little ass?"

Max took off her leather jacket, leaving her in nothing but a dark tank top. She smiled at Alec with syrupy sweetness, and said, "Always."

He chuckled. "Well, let's go then."

The hours passed with all four joking and laughing and trash talking. To make the games more fair, the transgenics made sure to handicap themselves. They only ever took the hardest shot on the table and they never pocketed more than two balls in a row. Max and Alec were more at ease than they had been in a long while, not just in public but with each other as well. There were just as many quips and slaps exchanged, but they were equally matched by smirks and genuine smiles. Max felt the stress and worry of the day melt away from her here, surrounded by her friends.

Alec was coaching Sketchy through his next shot, leaving Max and Cindy alone around the table with the beers.

"Like leading the blind," OC chuckled into her glass.

"Listen," Max said quietly, "Joshua's invited you over for another dinner at his place. His new place. I mean, our new place. In Terminal City."

"Yeah?" She looked at Max and saw exactly how big a deal it was to be invited to the transgenics' home base. The other woman's eyes kept glancing at her and then away again.

"Yeah, our resident medic even okayed it. Alec said Joshua's pretty excited about you coming."

"He is, is he?" She smiled knowingly at Max. "Well then, you tell Doggie-dog that Original Cindy will most definitely be there." She was rewarded with a rare, full smile from Max in return.

"Your go, Max," Sketchy called after having missed yet another shot.

As Max moved to the pool table, Alec sidled up to Original Cindy, throwing an arm over her shoulders and pressing her close into his side despite the death glare she was shooting at him. He chuckled, the mischief in his eyes clear and twinkling as he leaned down to whisper in her ear. "Don't look now, but there is one fine, fine woman at the bar who's been checking you out for the last ten minutes."

"Word?"

"Burgundy hair, legs 'til forever, really nice...uh, charms." Alec leaned further behind her to grab his drink from one of the tables. She took the cover to glance over his shoulder toward the bar. Sure enough, there was a stunning punk chick -- all pale skin, dramatic hair, and dark eyes -- biting her bottom lip and staring Cindy's way. The low-cut corset she was wearing wasn't too bad either.

"Oh, snap."

Max, who could hear their entire conversation as clearly as if had been shouted through Normal's megaphone, smiled a little at the two of them while deciding on her next shot.

Cindy turned back around and pinched Alec's cheek. "You done good, baby boo." Then she threw off his arm and grabbed her jacket. "Max, win it for the ladies. Peace, y'all! I am out," was thrown over her shoulder with a sexy grin as she sashayed over to the bar.

Alec sighed wistfully as he watched her make her move on the woman at the bar, the two leaving together after just a few words. "Damn. One of these days I have got to remember to bug her with a micro-cam." Less than a second later, a cube of blue chalk pinged him in the back of his head.

"Ow."

"You're an ass," Max stated.

Alec shrugged unapologetically. "I do what I can." He eyed the pool table. "We're still tied here. Do you plan on taking a shot sometime this year, Maxie?"

Still leaning over, studying the layout of the balls remaining on the table, Max lifted one arm to salute Alec with her middle finger.

"Dude, cool tattoo!" Sketchy exclaimed from just behind her.

Max whipped her head around to face him, her hand automatically going to the back of her neck, even though she and Alec had just re-lasered their barcodes off just a few days before. Then she realized that Sketchy was staring at her arm. Lines of black script were appearing rapidly in neat rows down her forearm from her wrist. It was as if someone was writing on her skin from the inside out.

Sketchy's bewildered, "What the hell?" signaled that he'd also noticed that her 'tattoo' was growing on its own. Max's voice got stuck in her throat, trapped by her rising alarm. Her mind blanked completely when she tried to think of a plausible explanation to throw at Sketchy.

She didn't realize Alec had moved around the pool table to her side until his fingers brushed over the skin of her forearm. He was silent for a heartbeat and then, "Finally! I know the bottle said 'disappearing and reappearing ink' but that was like three days ago."

Then Alec wrapped his arm around her shoulders and leaned in close, as if he were trying to see down beneath the scoop of her tight tank top. The move pressed her arm between them, effectively hiding the still-growing tattoo and putting his body squarely between hers and Sketchy's.

"I wonder where else it's started to show," he said with a lover's intimacy in his voice. His breath tickled her neck. Max felt a hot flush crawl up her chest to her face. Her voice still wouldn't emerge, but now for an entirely different reason.

Alec nuzzled into her neck and squeezed her shoulder. "Play along," he breathed into her ear.

She turned her head, putting their faces only inches apart as she looked him straight in the eye and forced a flirty smirk onto her face. "We'll just have to wait until later to find out, now won't we." Then she playfully nudged him back a little, but not too far.

"You let Alec draw stuff on you?" Sketchy interjected, still looking bewildered. Then a light bulb seemed to go off. "Wait! You two are hittin' it! I _knew_ it!" he crowed. "Ever since the strip club, I've been saying you two had something going. Dude, Sky owes me like fifty bucks!"

Max's face morphed into her patented bitchy scowl. "You've been _betting_ on us?"

Alec chuckled. "C'mon Max, can you really blame him?" He moved his arm across her far shoulder until his hand wrapped lightly around the back of her neck, a warm weight just below where her barcode would be. "The guy sucks at pool. He's gotta make the money back somehow."

Sketchy made a face. "Gee, thanks man."

"Anytime, bro."

Max reached beneath Alec's jacket to wrap the tattooed arm around his back and leaned into him. He must have felt the tension still running through her body because he'd started rubbing his thumb lightly over the skin of her neck. She took a deep breath with her cheek resting against his shoulder. That seemed to settle her nerves a bit and clear her head. They needed to get out of there and figure out what the hell was going on with her.

She shifted her head a little until she was looking at Alec through her lashes. She pitched her voice low enough to seem like an intimate whisper but loud enough that Sketchy would be sure to hear when she said, "I've kinda lost interest in playing, Alec. At least this game…"

Alec took one look at her biting her lip and immediately threw his pool cue onto the felt tabletop. "Sketchy, my man, the guys are going to have to forfeit this time," he said as he grabbed up Max's jacket and started to back them away. "I'll pay your share to OC."

"Riiight, bro." The blonde slacker leered at them both, waggling his eyebrows. "I've got some green to go collect anyway." Just as they turned away from him, he called out with a laugh, "You kids have fun tonight!"

Max let Alec steer them through the still-crowded floor by the bar. His arm was once again draped fully across her shoulders, pulling her snugly against his side. He was still holding her leather jacket, so she kept her arm wrapped around his waist, hidden beneath his jacket.

As soon as they'd escaped from the warm press of the club and into the cool night air, Max pulled away from him. She grabbed her jacket from his hand and didn't meet his eyes.

"Sorry about that, Max. I had to give him something else to focus on," Alec explained as they moved toward their bikes.

"I know."

"You know." Despite the way Max had actively participated in the act in front of Sketchy, Alec still sounded just a little shocked. He probably figured she was going to punch him as soon as the door to Crash had shut behind them.

"Yeah, it's alright. We're cool."

"Alright." Alec cleared his throat. "Now the real question is why you can't just be content to be a freak like the rest of us. You always gotta be a superfreak."

That made her look at him. "Shut up. This is not funny."

He shook his head and sighed. "I'm not laughing, Max. What do you want to do?"

"Head to TC. Find Eve and let her check me out. I'd really rather not go all Ms. Hyde again."

"Aw, I don't know. It wasn't all bad, Max. That little skirt your Ms. Hyde wore was pretty outstanding, I thought." He chuckled and started to swing a leg up on his bike, but before he could mount, Max grabbed his arm.

"Just kidding, Max."

She shook her head. "I've seen writing like this before," she said. "When I broke White's son out of that cult school I saw some sort of lesson book filled with it. The cover had the same symbol as the brand on their arms."

"You think it has something to do with that snake venom they dosed you with?"

"I don't know." She thought about it. "Why would it take two months to show up? Doesn't seem right."

He shrugged and turned the key in his ignition, revving the bike once. "Like you said, let's get back to TC. We'll put all our freaky little heads together and figure it out in no time." He was smiling reassuringly at her when he said it.

Max felt a prickle on the back of her neck. She covertly glanced around while she got on her Ninja. She caught Alec's eye just before he put on his shades. He wasn't smiling anymore. He felt it too. They were definitely being watched. He shook his head once, telling her he couldn't see whoever it was.

"Let's get outta here," she said. "Can you take point?"

Alec nodded without another word and sped off with Max following closely behind. She trusted he'd lead them on a confusingly roundabout route to TC that would lose anyone who tried to follow. As they roared out of the alley behind Crash, Max glanced back but saw nothing but empty shadows.

**TBC**


End file.
